I’ve just recieved a press release informing that the 2010 world coffee conference will be taking place in Guatemala.  This is the third conference put on by the ICO (International Coffee Organization).

The event will bring together representatives of 77 ICO Member Governments, private sector and other organizations. This is the third ICO World Conference to be organized. The previous Conference took place in Brazil in 2005 and was attended by over 1,200 participants, including heads of states, Ministers and other high level representatives. It generated ideas and themes which have been taken up in the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) 2007 and have contributed to the development of national commodity policies of Member Governments, aiming to strengthen the global coffee sector and promoting sustainable expansion in a market-based environment.

Coffee is of exceptional importance to the livelihoods of millions of people, particularly in developing countries, and the objective of the 2010 Conference is to bring together representatives of governments and private sector at the highest level to review the issue of “Coffee for the Future:  Towards a sustainable coffee sector.”  The conference will comprise sessions dealing with the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental issues.

I would highly recommend that you register now in order not to miss the World Coffee Conference.  All information on the event itself, registration and sponsorship/booth opportunities can be found on the conference website: http://www.wcc2010guatemala.com/

You can register online at:  http://www.wcc2010guatemala.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=115

You can download the WCC2010 brochure at:  http://wcc2010guatemala.org/images/dmgs/brochure_WCC2010.pdf

Please join us for an evening with Dr. Francisco VanderHoff, one of the founders of the Fair Trade Certified movement.

Dr. VanderHoff is a Catholic priest who has been working with indigenous people in Oaxaca, Mexico for more than twenty-five years. The founder of the first Fair Trade labeling organization (Max Havelaar in the Netherlands) and co-founder of the largest Fair Trade Certified coffee co-operative in the world (UCIRI in Oaxaca), Dr. VanderHoff has  not only been a successful practitioner of Fair Trade, but an insightful critic of  attempts by large corporate actors to later down the standards of Fair Trade in ways that are detrimental to small producers. An inspiration to all in the Fair Trade movement, Dr. VanderHoff has also been recognized for his work by leading political figures, such as the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Anan, and the former President of France, Jacques Chirac.  Fair Trade Certified sales were nearly $5 billion last year with 7.5 million people benefiting from the  movement.

We invite you to join a conversation with Francisco and others that will explore some of the emerging issues in the fair trade movement. The purpose of this talk is to stimulate discussion on furthering our efforts to create a more just and sustainable global economy.

The event will take place on Wednesday September 23 at our Grange/Victoria Plaza coffee bar starting at 7 PM. If  possible, please RSVP to Bill Barrett (bill@planetbeancoffee.com or at 519-837-3242).